[Leverage] Questions on how to run it

[jayoungr]

I'm learning the Leverage RPG in preparation for running it at an upcoming con, and I'll be trying it out on my home group first. I have a few questions about getting started, character creation, and a Recruitment Job.

The main question I have is, do you have any tips for running a Recruitment Job? What makes a good scenario for that purpose, since it won't be played out in detail? I'm thinking something that doesn't have super-high stakes is probably a good idea.

Second, I'm debating how best to do this in a four-hour slot at a convention.

• Pregens or let the players create their own characters?
• Play a Recruitment Job or go straight to a regular caper?

(Note, I'm definitely planning to play a Recruitment Job with my home group, even if I don't end up doing it at the con.)

 

[jayoungr]

So I have some more questions that I figured I'd just tack onto the previous message ...

I've generated some basic scenarios using the tables in the book, but what sort of prep do you do once you have the situation and key players? How many locations do you usually plan for? How do you choose traits for the locations? Do you typically plan out opportunities for the Crew to get at the Mark--for example, "The Mark will be attending the governor's ball in two days"?

Do you make any effort to ensure there will be something for each Crewmember to do, or do you let them figure that out for themselves?

I'd love any tips that people here may be able to offer.

 

[jayoungr]

There don't seem to be too many Leverage experts here, but one more try! Some of these questions probably apply to other Corex systems as well.

I've run my second session. Still only a partial success--we're all having fun, but we're definitely still mastering the system and stumbling a bit. I'm trying not to panic about the fact that I've committed myself to run this game at a con at the end of the month!

Lesson learned from last time: get to the briefing as fast as possible. I made the mistake of giving my group just the client's contact information and basic situation, assuming they'd get in touch with him and find out who the mark was. Instead, they spent about an hour of real time researching the situation, investigating the client, and trying to find hidden agendas behind the arson at the client's business. Even when they client told them what was going on, they assumed that wasn't the whole story and kept looking for deeper motivations on the mark's part ... when just going to the mark's restaurant would have showed them that he was an egotist and micromanager. The players did admit afterward that they were "Shadowrunning" rather than diving right in, so maybe they'll make more of an effort to do that next time.

But is there any way I can encourage them to just get moving rather than spending all their time on gathering information? In addition to not matching the genre and only giving the Hacker and/or Grifter much to do, it also puts a lot of pressure on me to invent stuff, instead of reacting to the Crew's plans. And it doesn't generate many Plot Points either.

(Speaking of Plot Points, do they carry over from one Job to another? I haven't been doing that, but it seems like players would be able to do more if they did. I know they can also reference earlier Jobs for plot points.)

Also, how do I encourage players to have their characters try things that aren't their primary Roles? I don't want them just sitting around feeling like I'm not giving them anything to do if they're not rolling their D10s.

 

[aramis erak]

While I've not played leverage, I have read it. I've run a couple other Cortex Plus games (Firefly, MHR)...

Much of your prep should be figuring out stats for the targets and opposition.
Due to the way things tend to work, and the open ended creation of complications and assets (including scene assets)... much more than the initial position and opposition's plan is likely to get overwritten somewhat. You can suggest key elements for them to get, and create sub-missions in order to get target cooperation...

 

[jayoungr]

Thanks for answering! I was starting to wonder whether anyone here knew Cortex+ at all.

Much of your prep should be figuring out stats for the targets and opposition.

I went in with stats for a few locations, plus NPCs that I thought were likely to appear, and it helped a lot. But it created another question--one which you may be able to answer from other Cortex systems:

What happens when a player is rolling to convince an NPC of something, and the NPC has a trait that's relevant but should work in the PC's favor? Do I roll it as part of the stakes or not? For example, if the Mark has the trait "Greedy D8," and the PC appeals to his greed, how is that reflected in the roll?

 

[aramis erak]

Thanks for answering! I was starting to wonder whether anyone here knew Cortex+ at all.


I went in with stats for a few locations, plus NPCs that I thought were likely to appear, and it helped a lot. But it created another question--one which you may be able to answer from other Cortex systems:

What happens when a player is rolling to convince an NPC of something, and the NPC has a trait that's relevant but should work in the PC's favor? Do I roll it as part of the stakes or not? For example, if the Mark has the trait "Greedy D8," and the PC appeals to his greed, how is that reflected in the roll?

Damage, conditions, etc: Opponent gets to add those to their pool; one for free. (rest may be free in some versions.)

Distinctions: NPC's can earn the GM PP by rolling them as d4's, too.

Assets: whomever it's the asset to gets the die... EG: Nar is carrying a 30mm AMR (a Big Big gun)... and trying to hid in a sniper blind. Nar has taken the 30mm AMR as a signature item asset. The blind is a scene asset. The guy searching for Nar can treat it as an asset in finding him (they're HUGE), and once he's found it, use the blind as an asset in sneaking up on him.

 

[pemerton]

I was starting to wonder whether anyone here knew Cortex+ at all.

I haven't run Leverage, but have a bit of experience with Marvel Heroic RP. My prep for those sessions generally means thinking about some opponents to use, and thinking through some likely locations and Scene Distinctions for them. (And when I'm improvising, which is often, what I generally do is come up with some Scene Distinctions and flip through my books to find some opponents.)

In the last session I ran, the PCs were planning to break into the Latverian Embassy (looking for Mariko Yashida, who seemed to have been kidnapped). They decided to go to the urban planning department before their break in, looking for information eg about sewers and other possible secret entrances. Instead of running this as a Transition Scene (which probably would have made more sense) I ran this as an Action Scene (don't ask why - it sort of unfolded in a not-fully-thought-through way). The "action" ended up being the creation of assets (sewer plans, from memory; maybe something else I've forgotten) via rolls against the Doom Pool. I think the "sewer plan" asset then served as a bonus die when half the team took their first suite of actions during the break in (which, from memory, was taking out the basement guards in the Embassy).

Assets: whomever it's the asset to gets the die... EG: Nar is carrying a 30mm AMR (a Big Big gun)... and trying to hid in a sniper blind. Nar has taken the 30mm AMR as a signature item asset. The blind is a scene asset. The guy searching for Nar can treat it as an asset in finding him (they're HUGE), and once he's found it, use the blind as an asset in sneaking up on him.

At least in MHRP, only the character who was intended to benefit from the asset (either the character who created it, or the character who was being supported) gets to use it in their pool.

So in MHRP, in the situation you describe, if the GM wants the guy searching for Nar to get a benefit from the fact that Nar's gun is BIG, the GM has to spend a die from the Doom Pool to reflect this. Or maybe create a complication ("Your gun is really TOO big!") and then use that.

But I dunno how other Cortex+ systems handle this.

What happens when a player is rolling to convince an NPC of something, and the NPC has a trait that's relevant but should work in the PC's favor? Do I roll it as part of the stakes or not? For example, if the Mark has the trait "Greedy D8," and the PC appeals to his greed, how is that reflected in the roll?

In MHRP, "Greedy" would likely be a Distinction, and the GM would include it in the pool at d4 rather than d8.

Alternatively, many characters (NPCs as much as PCs) have Limits which allow a power to be treated as a complication. So a player could spend a Plot Point to trigger the Limit, turning the power into a complication, and hence adding it to his/her pool. (In MHRP there don't tend to be powers like Greedy - but maybe a telepath could have this sort of Limit, reflecting the fact that their "open" mind makes them more than typically vulnerable to other telepaths.)

I'm not sure how well the above approaches translate to Leverage.

 

[pemerton]

Also, [MENTION=87792]Neonchameleon[/MENTION] knows leverage well, but I'm not sure if he's active on these boards any more.

 

[Neonchameleon]

I'm not that active but can still be summoned

To me the big strength and weakness of Leverage is that it almost needs two GMs in the group; the game works best when the player playing the Mastermind is almost a sub-GM. You also need to make two things clear to the group before the session starts:

1. The client is always on the level. They probably don't know the full story but they are never a trap or bait.
2. When things go wrong they can be saved by a Flashback Scene

Breaking the first ruins games. Researching everything about Mr. Johnson in a Shadowrun game is just smart - but it bogs the whole thing down when you are playing Leverage. If the players have an absolute understanding that the client is on the level it cuts a lot of the research time down. And start straight at the briefing.

Pointing out and reminding the players of flashback scenes that allow them to retroactively turn scenes round is also very much needed. In Shadowrun messing up a single scene can cause a TPK. You can not afford mistakes. In Leverage there is literally no way to die in the rulebook and mistakes are expected to the point that the players have a tool to rescue or reverse them. Use the example of "So if the grifter is getting held up by the Mark the thief can use their flashback scene to attempt to have already stolen the bullets from the mark's gun".

Both these are needed for the style of play you want in Leverage with the players going in with a plotted out but half baked plan.

Other than that my character creation is assisted by a mix of Apocalypse World and Dread with loaded questions to the players about how they came together. (Oh, and complications should start at d8 when you're in the swing of things).

 

[jayoungr]

In MHRP, "Greedy" would likely be a Distinction, and the GM would include it in the pool at d4 rather than d8.

Alternatively, many characters (NPCs as much as PCs) have Limits which allow a power to be treated as a complication. So a player could spend a Plot Point to trigger the Limit, turning the power into a complication, and hence adding it to his/her pool. (In MHRP there don't tend to be powers like Greedy - but maybe a telepath could have this sort of Limit, reflecting the fact that their "open" mind makes them more than typically vulnerable to other telepaths.)

I'm not sure how well the above approaches translate to Leverage.

I finally found it in the Leverage rulebook (page 64, under "Picking Up Dice"). "Greedy" is a Trait in Leverage, and if an NPC's Trait benefits the PC more than the NPC, then the player gets to roll it in the PC's dice pool.

Session #3 tonight!